My 50g. tank + 20g. sump build thread, a.k.a. "slowest build ever"

[groan]

It's too purdy to stain! Nice grain. Rhyming hurts my brain.

[HomerJ]

First coat of stain.  The color is not as red as on the picture (the flash makes it appear this way).  I'm glad it was warm and I could open the windows today... man it really stinks up the place! 

I'm debating giving a 2nd coat.  I think it will better match the couch with a second coat from my test pieces (it'll pretty much be located right where it's pictured, against the wall/stairs and close to the couch).  And NO, we are not using the gas fireplace.  We haven't fired it up in a few years now, so I won't boil up the fish.

[dan2x38]

Mr. J your no Homer! Very nice work can't wait to see what you do with the actual build.

[HomerJ]

Stand varnished, and tank moved from the box in my daughter's room onto the stand in the living room!



I also redrilled the hole for a bulkhead.  I felt the 1/2" bulkhead was borderline, so I installed a 3/4".

[ordi260]

Keep up the good work and the picture updates!  I love it!

[karjean]

Keep the good work, it does look great. Looking forward to see the set up once completed.

[HomerJ]

Small update:

Painted the back glass black. (say that quickly 10 times).  I used up a whole can of Krylon, but I think I lost half of it in the wind

I'm also surprised nobody asked about the doors for the stand.  They are glued up, stained and awaiting cooler weather to get varnished.

[HomerJ]

It has been forever!!!! 

Plumbing for the sump done... tank is currently filling up with RO water.  Mainly testing for leaks in the plumbing, but I'm hoping I'll be able to add salt tomorrow if everything is fine.

Pics to come.

[HomerJ]

Wow, already a month since last update.  Well everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong (well no floods so far so not EVERYTHING), but I think I'm back on track now.  Tank is full of salt water, live rock is in, sand is clearing up, and all hardware appears to be working as it should (pump, skimmer, powerheads, heater).

Picking up lights early this week and going from there.

Pics to come when things clear up a bit.

[HomerJ]

Here's a pic of the tank.  I'm not sure I like the aquascaping, and will need to play with the camera to get the colors to come out properly, but you get the idea.

[ordi260]

Looks great!

Now... can we see whats hidden in that stand???


SUMP SUMP SUMP SUMP!!!

[HomerJ]

Yeah, I`ll clean up the mess of wires under there tonight and take pics of what's under the hood.

[HomerJ]

Took a bit longer than expected but I managed to snap a few more pics.

The tank and stand.  Still debating whether I make a canopy or not.


Inside the stand.  I need to clean up the sump, lots of deposit at the bottom :-(


So many wires!  I'll clean this up when I'm done messing around with everything!


Clean up crew is in there, and water parms are in check.

[ordi260]

Very neat!

I would definitely build a canopy...some fish tend to jump...its really up to the choice of livestock you are gonna make...but anyway it looks nice 

keep up the good work!

[HomerJ]

A few pictures of the inhabitants.  We definitely need a better lens and a better way to adjust the white balance!



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[HomerJ]

Reviving my old thread!

As promised in another thread, some pictures of my "water change station".

First pic shows the outside of the bin.  I'm debating if I should shorten the wires and get rid of the big chunk of folder wires, or keep them like that.

Second pic shows the inside, I used a union so I can remove the pump easily to clean it.  An old powerhead is used to mix the salt, but I assume I could simply reroute the pump outlet inside the bin and use the pump for that.  Not sure how hard it is on the impeller.  The heater heats up the water in an hour or so.

Third pic is the cheapo "float" switch I have made.  Simply 2 wires (that get shorted when the water reaches that level).  I have just realized the pins are likely brass, so I will be replacing them right away!

Fourth pic is the outlet, which lets me attach the hose I use to fill up the tank.

Fifth pic is the hose I use.  The valve lets me safely start the pump beforehand and adjust the flow easily.

Overall, it works really well.  As an added bonus, you can use the bin to store stuff when you don't use it.  In my case, the 2x 5 gallon buckets I use syphon the water out of the tank, salt, hoses, etc.

[nissannx]

really impressed. turned out nice and everything has its home underneath. very nice.

[az]

very neat work!!

only one suggestion, get a better skimmer next year once things get full.

[HomerJ]

very neat work!!

only one suggestion, get a better skimmer next year once things get full.

Absolutely!  But I need to rebuild my sump to accommodate a bigger skimmer.  Slowly getting there!

[HomerJ]

Well, things will get moving a bit later this week.  I will be pulling my sump out from under the stand, and replacing it with a different one that will accomodate a larger skimmer.

I will also post updated pics now that I have a decent lens for the camera.

Here's to hoping everything will go as planned.